Trojans trump new league foe UCSB

USC improves to 6-1 with pair of wins over Gauchos

Los Angeles -- No. 9 USC closed out its home meet season with a doubleheader against UCSB, sweeping the Gauchos on Saturday at McDonald's Swim Stadium.

The Trojans, in an easy-going pair of meets coming on the heels of a week of hard training, took the first meet, 140-44, and claimed the second meet--which featured many non-NCAA events-136-47. USC improved to 6-1 while the Gauchos, in their first season as members of the Pac-10, fell to 3-2.

USC opened the first meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay as sophomore Alex Lendrum, senior Dillon Connolly, sophomore Clement Lefert and freshman Vladimir Morozov won in 1:30.39. Junior Richard Charlesworth then won the 1,000-yard free in 9:18.78. Junior Julian Bonse was second in 9:36.42.

Lefert, ranked second in the country in the 200-yard free and swimming in lane 8, won the event in 1:39.64 while freshman Dimitri Colupaev was second (1:41.58) and junior Patrick White was third (1:41.94). Lefert came back not long after to win the 100-yard fly (50.06). Freshman Chase Bloch was second (51.01) while third went to White (51.11).

In the men's 50-yard free, Morozov, one of the nation's top sprinters, won in 19.97 with Gaucho Chris Peterson second (20.21) and Trojan senior Emmett Walling and junior Jeff Daniels tied for third (21.37). Peterson surprised Morozov in the 100-yard free, jumping ahead after 50 yards and winning in 44.70, holding off the Trojan freshman's 44.77.

Sophomore Alex Lendrum, who owns USC's top time in the 200-yard IM, led for most of the race but was overtaken at the wall by Colupaev, who won in 1:52.45. Lendrum was second in 1:52.81. Lendrum got his win in the 100y back in 49.19, edging UCSB's Kevin Ferguson's 49.32.

Connolly, ranked first in the nation in the 100-yard breast, won in 56.02, edging UCSB's Tim Freeman (56.45). USC's 400-yard free relay of Walling, Daniels, White and Morozov closed out the first meet with a win in 3:04.33.

Troy opened the second meet with a win in the 100-yard medley relay as Morozov, Connolly, Lefert and Colupaev won in 41.09.

For the second time on the day, Lefert won the 200-yard free from lane 8, this time in 1:41.98. Freshman Michael Godbe was second (1:43.21). In the 50-yard free, Morozov won again, this time in 20.45 with Ferguson second (21.11) and Walling third (21.11).

In the seldom raced 100-yard IM, Lendrum claimed first from lane 8 in 52.48, edging Connolly in second (52.64). Freshman Matt Voell claimed the 50-yard fly in 22.98 with UCSB's Max Horrell in second (23.35).

In the 100-yard free, UCSB's Peterson won again in 44.80 with USC sophomore Pieter Kranenburg in second (47.67). In another rare event, Bloch sprinted to first in the 50-yard back (23.26), out-touching Lendrum (23.39) and sophomore Nick Karpov (23.67).

In the more traditional 500-yard free, Charlesworth won in 4:37.28 with Bonse second in 4:40.89. In the 50-yard breast, Connolly won in 25.99. Freeman was second in 26.28 while USC's Matt Talmadge claimed third (27.24).